Exploring the Sinus
by Cassandra Houston
Summary: Brush up on your Latin, sinus has nothing to do with the nose. This is the sequel to Regarding the Spiritus which is the sequel to SSTL. Right now we are lighthearted. Harry and Draco and then we'll move to Percy and Neville. There will be another adv
1. Integrity

Chapter One: Integrity  
  
  
The Three Broomsticks was magically cooled against the blazing hot early July weather. Cho Chang looked around for almost a full minute before she spotted him. She had to confirm it with her cameraman before she was sure. And even he, of the normally sharp eyes, took some time.  
  
"That's him all right," Colin Creevy said, hefting his camera bag onto his shoulder.  
  
They walked to the table where he sat, watching them. He rose as they reached the table.  
  
"Hello, Cho." he said, hugging her gently. "Hello, Colin." he shook Colin's hand firmly. "It has been a long time."  
  
"Hello Harry," Cho smiled. She looked at him very carefully. "I almost didn't recognize you."  
  
Harry Potter grinned. "I don't hang out in wizarding establishments much. And I don't wear robes unless I'm working or something."  
  
Cho and Colin sat down. "I meant," Cho said. "Your glasses are gone." and she looked again. "And your scar."  
  
Harry smiled. "Security precaution." he said. "There are still plenty of people out there that want to see me dead."  
  
Cho nodded and brought out parchment, ink and quill. Harry watched her quietly. She didn't get the same feeling from him that she did at school. He was more serious now. More sober. Or maybe that was an act. He had killed You-Know-Who and that had to change a person.  
  
She grasped the quill and took a breath. "This is the first interview you have granted since the downfall of You-Know-Who." she began, "You have been very reclusive. No one has been able to find you in the two years since then. What makes you grant an interview now?"  
  
"The Wizards Tribune is a new paper." Harry said, smiling softly. "I can't trust the Daily Prophet to report anything properly. I refused all requests from them for an interview. I have high hopes that the Wizards Tribune will show itself to be a paper of quality."  
  
Cho felt like someone had put a building on her shoulders. She knew a warning when she heard one, no matter how thinly veiled. She was going to have to be very careful in this interview. Her editor was probably going to have a conniption.  
  
She cleared her throat. "So no pressure?" she said lightly.  
  
The soft smile never wavered. The green eyes twinkled a moment. "Not a bit." he said, as he reached for his tea.  
  
Harry Potter had been a nice looking boy at school. He was gorgeous now. Dressed in a white button down shirt and black slacks, he looked every bit the Muggle. Cho could see more muscle than she ever remembered on the arms that came out of the short sleeves. He was unquestionably taking care of his body. She took a breath.  
  
"Everyone wants to know what Harry Potter has been doing with himself these days." she said, looking at him as professionally as she could. "Everyone knows you are rich, but you mentioned work. Where do you work?"  
  
"I am with a very small branch of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement." he said vaguely.  
  
Cho nodded. "That is a huge department. Would you care to be more specific for our readers?"  
  
"No."  
  
Cho swore inwardly. She would have to hope she could find out. Her editor had big plans for a series of articles. But it was beginning to feel like this was going to be a one shot deal.  
  
"Do you enjoy your work?" she said, hoping he might reveal something.  
  
"It is," and he paused. "Intrigueing." the smile on his lips apparently fixed. Cho made a quick note to herself: Dept of Intrigue?  
  
Cho nodded. "When did you have your eyesight corrected? Or are those contract lenses?"  
  
"My eyesight was magically corrected about six months ago. At the same time the scar was removed." he said, and Cho caught but could not interpret the look in his eyes.  
  
Cho took a deep breath. She knew this was not going to be a long interview, so she had to make her questions good.  
  
"The papers were filled with Ron Weasley's death. What is," she began.  
  
Harry's whole face darkened. "No comment." he said suddenly and with such finality that Cho was completely at a loss.  
  
"All right then." she stammered. "On a lighter note, then, shall we? There were a lot of girls in school who had a thing for you. I remember." she said, remembering that she was only one of many lined up for Harry Potters affection. "Have you finally settled down?"  
  
Harry's smile finally widened. "As a matter of fact, I will be taking vows very soon."  
  
Cho almost jumped from her seat to dance around the room. She'd hit pay dirt! "Really? Congratulations! Who is the lucky girl?"  
  
Harry laughed out loud. "You don't honestly think I am going to tell you, do you?" he said. "I may be giving the Wizards Tribune a chance, but I am not about to hand anyone over to them on a silver platter."  
  
Cho sighed. This was her first assignment and it was looking like it was over. She nodded. "All right. Maybe the next interview." she said, as she rolled up the parchment and put it and the quill and ink away. She glanced at Colin, who was opening his camera bag.  
  
Harry was also watching. "No photo's, Colin. Sorry."  
  
Colin looked up. There was no surprise whatsoever in his face. "Somehow I didn't think so." he said, grinning. He closed his bag. He watched as Herry drained the last of his tea. "So, Harry, now that the interview is over, why don't you tell us what's really been going on with you the past two years. All I've heard is rumors."  
  
Harry seemed to look inside of Colin. "It's been a rough couple of years, Colin." he said.  
  
He looked at Cho with a softening expression. "I didn't mean to be so sharp when I cut your question about Ron short." he said. "I'm still a bit tetchy about it."  
  
Cho smiled. "I understand." she said. "How have you been, really. Off the record, I promise."  
  
Harry laughed. "It had better be." he said. "Really? It's been a roller coaster two years. The highlights? I joined the magical police department, I fell in love, my best friend was killed."  
  
Colin flinched. "Two out of three?" he laughed nervously.  
  
"Well, the Department was something to do for a long time. Yes, Cho, I am rich. I don't have to work. I work because I like the challenge." Harry said, glancing over at Cho with half a grin.  
  
"Well, your girl must work, right?" Cho said, not being able to avoid just one more attempt to find out some information she could use.  
  
"Off the record, remember Cho." Harry said, with a sly grin. "If any of this shows up in the papers, I will never trust you or your paper again." and she knew that was no threat. It was a promise.  
  
"Off the record." Cho sighed, although she knew she was going to regret it, she would keep it out of the papers.  
  
Harry sat back in his chair and surveyed them. A waitress brought them more tea. Harry took a deep breath. "On July fourteenth I will be taking my vows."  
  
Colin smiled. "But to who? I have been trying to figure out who would get famous Harry Potter. That's the dream of every witch in Britain."  
  
Cho nodded. If she was going to get an answer to a question, it was this one. Who will Harry Potter be marrying. She knew she couldn't use the information, but she wanted to know for her own self.  
  
Harry laughed and drank some of his tea. "Every witch in Britain is going to be disappointed." he said. "I am exchanging vows with another man."  
  
Cho's mouth fell open. Colin choked. Harry reached over and patted Colin on the back until he regained his color. He then reached over and very gently closed Cho's mouth.  
  
"You're joking." Cho said. "You can't be gay, Harry. You just can't be."  
  
Harry laughed, "And why can't I be, Cho?" he asked. "Because I am Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived? Because I am the one who killed the most feared wizard in who knows how long?"  
  
Cho turned red. "Well, yes," she stammered. "That and you just don't seem gay."  
  
Colin laughed along with Harry at this. "And what does gay look like, Cho?" he asked. He pointed to himself with both hands. "Me? Small and skinny and weak?"  
  
Cho turned a deeper shade of red. "Well, no. I." she struggled with her words.  
  
"Well, good." Colin said. "My girlfriend will be glad to hear that."  
  
Harry smiled at Cho. "I don't know how and I don't know why." he said. "You know I was with plenty of girls while I was at Hogwarts." and he took a mean pleasure in Cho turning yet another shade of red remembering her fifteen minutes of fame up in the astronomy tower towards the end of her seventh year. "When my boyfriend came into my life, or I should say back into my life, he changed it completely. I started falling in love with him almost immediately. From our first conversation."  
  
Cho noticed his grin as he remembered. "All right then." she said. "But who? What man was able to turn Harry Potter into a bender?"  
  
Harry frowned slightly at the derogatory comment. Cho realized she may have made a very bad mistake in her thoughtlessness. But for some reason she was angry and hurt and let down. Harry Potter was a faggot. And she'd had sex with him. How could he be gay? It was insulting to her ego.  
  
"I wouldn't put it quite that way, Chang." came a soft and silky voice from directly behind her.  
  
She whirled around and found herself looking a pair of cold grey eyes. The man standing behind her was as blonde as Harry was raven haired. His body build was very similar to Harry's, but he was a bit broader than he was. She remembered the muscular body well. It was not in the Astronomy tower, but in the dungeons of Hogwarts where she'd gotten to know it, albeit briefly.  
  
"Draco Malfoy." she breathed.  
  
Colin's mouth dropped open. Then he began chuckling and shaking his head. He was not laughing outright, perhaps in the hopes of not attracting any undue attention to their corner.  
  
"Hello, Cho." Draco said. He seemed only slightly amused. "Long time no see. I almost didn't recognize you. Dressed."  
  
Cho sucked in a breath. "You." she said, disbelief etched in her face and voice. "You are Harry Potter's lover?"  
  
Draco walked around the table and pulled up a chair. He looked at Harry a moment as if considering and then he did it. He kissed Harry Potter full on the lips right in front of everyone. Cho heard the gasp escape her lips. The kiss was deep and passionate and even involved tongues. Cho's stomach turned as she realized that the had the biggest story of her short career. And she didn't know what to do about it.  
  
Draco broke the kiss and sit down. He looked at Cho with half a grin on his face. "Yes. I am Harry Potters lover."  
  
Draco looked across the table at Colin. Colin was still chuckling and shaking his head, but he managed to speak. "Hello, Draco."  
  
Harry looked at Colin with mild concern. "Colin, are you all right?" he asked.  
  
Colin took a handkerchief out of his robes and wiped his eyes. "Yes, Harry. I'm fine. The look on her face." and he began chuckling softly again. "Priceless. Abslo-fucking-lutely priceless."  
  
Both Harry and Draco laughed at this. "Yes, it was wasn't it?" Harry said, now looking at Cho. "What's the problem, Cho? Is it that you can't handle famous Harry Potter being gay? Or is it that you can't handle famous Harry Potter who fucked you being with another man you fucked?" and at the look on her face continued. "I knew you fucked Malfoy when it happened. It was all over school, you know?"  
  
Colin was crying with mirth still. "It was, Cho." ha said, trying to catch his breath.  
  
Cho stood, reached over the table and slapped Harry as hard as she could manage. She grabbed the bag with her story in it, spun around and marched out of the Three Broomsticks.  
  
Harry didn't move, he and Draco joined Colin in laughing.  
  
Colin sobered finally. "She could make it difficult, you know." he said, wiping his eyes. "She is so mad she might decide to publish that, even though it was supposed to be off the record."  
  
Harry shrugged. "She won't publish it. And, to be honest, Colin, I don't really care if she does."  
  
The article appeared on the morning of Harry and Draco's wedding. Nothing they discussed off the record was in it. Harry had to admit he was impressed that Cho Chang showed some integrity.  



	2. The Wedding

Chapter Two: The Wedding  
  
Neville Longbottom was as red as a beet. He didn't think he'd ever received so many compliments on his cooking in his life as he had in this single evening.  
  
He'd started them off with a choice of smoked salmon and oyster pillows, served with cucumber and a sauce Vierge or a classical minestrone soup. He prepared a gigantic poached pear and walnut salad with a Gorgonzola dressing. For the main course he offered pot roasted squab pigeon stuffed with Foie Gras and Escargois Ravioli, fondant potatoes and Morel mushrooms or a duo of fillet steak and fillet of veal with shallots and Cep mushrooms. For a desert he offered hot apple souffle with his homemade Calcados ice cream or a glazed coconut rice pudding with strawberries or caramel mousse drum with raspberries marinated in a rose wine, which he'd made himself. He also prepared five different kinds of tea and three different kinds of coffee.  
  
Harry and Draco's pre-wedding dinner was a consummate success.  
  
Harry and Draco walked with Neville to the waiting helicopter which would take him back to London.  
  
"You outdid yourself, Neville." Draco said, grinning. "I don't know how to thank you."  
  
"You don't have to thank me, Draco." Neville said. "Just you wait until tomorrow. A light lunch, but every bit as good as the dinner was. I promise you."  
  
The helicopter took off without a sound, and Neville was gone.  
  
Harry and Draco walked hand in hand around their home. They had bought the island together and, with the help of magic, built their home there in less than three months. They enchanted the island to ensure their privacy. The island simply did not exist.  
  
The setting sun threw their shadows behind them. They walked towards the western cliffs and halted at a small grove of trees. They undressed and walked away from the grove of trees into the open.  
  
Harry looked into Draco's eyes. "If you don't want to do this, I will understand." he said.  
  
Draco kissed him. "There is nothing I want to do more."  
  
Harry nodded. They faced each other and slowly lowered themselves to their knees. They joined hands, interlocking their fingers. They bent their elbows and leaned into each others hands. They locked eyes as the last rays of the sun disappeared below the horizon.  
  
They did not blink as they stared deeply into each other. When they spoke, they spoke at exactly the same time, their two voices melded into one.  
  
"Iunctus."  
  
They both felt their fingers tighten around each other.  
  
"Convenio."  
  
It was as if someone was wrapping a rope around them. Their bodies did not move, but it felt to both Harry and Draco that they were now knee to knee and nose to nose.  
  
"Semper."  
  
They felt as if they were floating upwards.  
  
"Aspicio."  
  
Both Harry and Draco closed their eyes as they said this. They each saw a flash of light.  
  
"Iunctura."  
  
They felt as if their bodies were pressing into each other, as if they were physically melding.  
  
"Contineo."  
  
That feeling continued. They had the feeling they were one being, not two.  
  
"Semper."  
  
They felt the feeling of lightness increase. They could not distinguish up from down from left from right.  
  
"Expletum."  
  
They both felt a jolt. As if they had dropped to their knees, although they had been on their knees during the entire ritual. Slowly, at exactly the same time, Harry and Draco opened their eyes and looked at each other. Draco nodded to Harry and Harry closed his eyes again.  
  
Harry found himself looking into his own face. He saw wind blowing a mass of black hair in every direction. Draco turned his head and Harry saw him look over his shoulder at a black building that Harry realized was their house, then pan back and look out to sea. The water was only half a shade darker than the sky and Harry caught the glimpse of a tiny whitecap on the windblown waters. Cutting the connection was as simple as opening his eyes and he did just that.  
  
He got Draco to stop staring out to sea by disentangling their fingers and touching him lightly on the shoulder. His throat was tight and so he did not speak, but nodded. And Draco closed his eyes and made the connection.  
  
Draco saw himself, although blurred. Harry's eyes were filling with tears. Harry closed them quickly and his vision cleared. Harry looked over Draco's shoulder to the grove of trees where their clothes were piled. Draco watched as Harry looked out to see beyond the trees. There was a boat, all lit up miles away. Then Draco was looking at his own face again, and the vision was blurring. He cut the connection and looked at Harry through his own eyes.  
  
"Love." Draco said, breaking the silence at last.  
  
Harry reached up and caressed Draco's face. He leaned slightly forward and kissed Draco. When the kiss was broken, they remained on their knees, wrapped in each others arms.  
  
The Iunctius Charm had been successfully completed.  
  
  
  
July fourteenth proved to be unseasonably cool. The guests were glad of it, as there wasn't much shade on the magically concealed island. Enchanted helicopters brought the guests to the island and would take them home.  
  
All of the guests were friends of Harry's, but many of them had come to think of Draco as a friend, or at least not as an enemy. It was not a gaudy affair. Friends from school. The Weasley family. A few former teachers.  
  
Albus Dumbledore was asked to preside over the ceremony, and he agreed before the question was completely stated. He stood now, resplendent in robes of some shimmering fabric which could only be called peacock, and watched Harry and Draco approach him.  
  
Hermione Weasley and Severus Snape waited on either side of Dumbledore. Hermione was dressed in robes of medium blue and Severus was dressed in robes of charcoal grey, as far as he would deviate from black. They would stand up for the men who came today to profess their love for each other before their friends.  
  
Harry was dressed in a Muggle suit of light grey, which contrasted perfectly with his dark hair. His hair was whipped in every direction as the light wind off of the sea played with it.   
  
Draco was also dressed in a Muggle suit, this one of an inky black. More than one person marveled that he managed to avoid looking like an undertaker. The breeze simply lifted his hair and placed it back on his head.  
  
They walked arm in arm down a short isle to where Dumbledore waited for them. They stood before him with slight smiles on their faces. They were ready.  
  
Dumbledore said, his voice both joyous and serious, "Today we gather to bear witness to the joining of two lives. Two spirits. They have statements to each other and they wish to have them heard by their friends."  
  
Dumbledore paused, then turned to Draco. Draco and Harry faced each other and Draco spoke first. Looking into his lovers eyes he said:  
  
"You gave me a second chance when no one else would. You befriended me when I should have been friendless. You listened to me when others would have been deaf. You talked to me when others would have been silent. You watched over me where I would have been alone. You forgave me where no one else would have. You believed in me when no one else would. You saw light where no one else did. I feel like we are one. I will be by your side beyond forever."  
  
There was a significant pause. Someone blew their nose. Not breaking the contact with Draco's eyes, Harry said:  
  
"You saw past the legend and into my heart. You expected me to make mistakes and did not chastise me when I did. You treated me like a normal human being as opposed to some name in a history book. You lifted the signs of a failed curse from my and in so doing, you lifted a great weight from me. You proved to me that you love me for me and not because I am some status symbol. You are a part of my heart and soul. I will stay by your side past the end of time."  
  
Silent tears were falling down Hermione's cheeks. Dumbledore coughed, then cleared his throat.  
  
"It is love that blesses a union and makes it stand the test of time. I believe that this union is blessed tenfold and more." Dumbledore said, smiling. "Gentlemen, you may seal this union with a kiss."  
  
Harry and Draco kissed and the island exploded in applause.  
  
The luncheon that followed lasted well into the afternoon. Molly Weasley cried until she had no tears left. The newlyweds were congratulated time and time again. The luncheon was unquestioningly perfect and Neville spent several hours red from blushing as people complimented the chief.  
  
Neville had spoken correctly. He offered Marinated Grilled Vegetables with Aubergine Caviar or Rump of Lamb with Fondant Potato and Aubergine Caviar or Mediterranean Vegetables for the main course and for dessert he offered Honey and Nougatine Parfait or Fig and Tamarind Compote or Lime and Tequila Meringue Pie. Again, he offered a wide assortment of fresh tea and coffee.  
  
The party began to break up in the middle of the afternoon. The enchanted helicopters took people from the island in small groups. Soon the only people left were Harry, Draco, Amethyst and Severus.  
  
Severus shook the newlyweds hands and Amethyst hugged them both with far more warmth than she usually showed.  
  
"Joined forever." she said, looking between them. "More permanently than any marriage." Amethyst beamed at them and they noticed that Severus too, was smiling a rare warm smile.  
  
"I wish you the same happiness I feel with my life mate." he said.  
  
Amethyst and Severus Snape got into their car and drove west, off of the cliff where Harry and Draco joined the night before and into the sunset. The car did not drop at all. It remained at the same level for a short time and then began to rise steadily into the air, until it disappeared behind a few gathering clouds.  
  
Draco looked at Harry. "I think I would settle for even half the happiness those two give each other."  
  
Harry touched Draco's cheek. "We shall be at least as happy. I swear it."  



	3. Depths

Chapter Three: Depths  
  
Harry looked up at the house. It was a larger house then the one he'd lived in when he was a boy. East End was a nicer suburb than he'd lived in as a boy. He found he didn't care.   
  
He looked at Draco. The grey eyes looked at him apprehensively. The silver blonde hair moved with the wind. His lips were parted slightly, as if he wanted to say something. Harry faced him and gave him a light kiss on those wonderful lips.  
  
"You are such a devil." he said. "But I love you." he hit his lover on the arm. "Let's see how much damage you've caused."  
  
Draco grinned mischievously and shrugged. "Can't have been too much." he said. "The lardarse had to have weighed two hundred and thirty kilograms before I ever got to him."  
  
Harry sighed. Draco had such a devilish streak. He had cursed people before, but not in the time they had been a couple. Or at least Harry hadn't thought he had. Harry had been wrong, and he had brought Draco to this place to put things right.  
  
The men stepped up to it door and Harry knocked. A painfully thin woman answered and gasped when she saw the two handsome wizards before her.  
  
"I didn't think you would come." she whispered. "Vernon said you would see him dead before you came."  
  
She let Harry and Draco into a pristine house. They followed her up a flight of stairs and down a hallway. "He's been having heart troubles. He'll have to be admitted to the hospital soon. Probably put it off to long as it is." she said to them along the way.  
  
She opened a door at the end of a hallway and they stepped inside. Uncle Vernon was sitting on a chair beside a bed. Aunt Petunia walked to him and said. "They've come, Vernon."  
  
Uncle Vernon looked up at them, but said nothing. He reached above the bed and turned on a light. Both Harry and Draco had to struggle to keep their faces emotionless.  
  
Six months had passed since the February night when Harry and Draco had run into the Dursley family. Draco, already feeling reckless had made sport of them. Convincing them he was a Muggle and impressing them before he let the bomb drop that he was all the things that the Dursleys hated. He was a wizard. He was a convict. He was a homosexual and Harry's lover. And then Draco leaned over Harry's cousin Dudley Dursley, ran a finger down his cheek and whispered in Dudley's ear, "Macresco."  
  
In the six months since Draco had murmured those words, Dudley Dursley had gone from two hundred and forty kilograms down to sixty kilograms. He lay in the electric light like a skeleton on the sheet. His face was pale and gaunt. Harry barely recognized him. Harry could understand why Dudley was having problems with his heart.  
  
Harry went to the side of the bed nearest the door and Draco walked to the other side. Uncle Vernon, who had not lost any weight and was still a very large man, scurried away from his post to allow Draco room. Harry looked over his cousins paper thin body to Draco and they communicated without words.  
  
Draco looked down at Dudley and said, very softly, "Hello, Muggle. I see my curse worked."  
  
Harry almost rolled his eyes, but he didn't. He knew that Draco would lift the curse. But he would have the last word also.  
  
"Your parents had a time finding us." Draco continued. He was looking into Dudleys now overlarge eyes. Dudley was desperate, but scared of this man who had cursed him. "They found a way, though. Their love for you outweighed their fear of magic. No pun intended."  
  
Draco reached out his hand and Dudley cried out as he flinched away from the hand. Draco frowned. "Do not move, Muggle." he hissed and Dudley froze from fear more than anything else.  
  
Draco ran a finger along Dudleys cheek. "Subsisto." he hissed.  
  
He continued to look down at Dudley. "You will lose no more weight." he said simply. He turned to go.  
  
"Malfoy." Harry said, raising his eyebrows.  
  
Draco sighed and returned to Dudleys side. "I do not understand why you want him to live, Potter." he said, looking over the skeleton on the bed. He looked down at Dudley. "You listen to me carefully, Muggle." he said in his soft voice. "If I had my choice I would have let you die. You are no loss to humanity. You remember that Harry Potter saved your worthless life tonight."  
  
Draco ran his finger along Dudleys cheek again and said, "Lucrum pondus."  
  
He straightened up and nodded to Harry. "It is done." he said and both men turned to leave the room. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia stood beside the door.  
  
"Th - thank you." Aunt Petunia said through her silent tears.  
  
"Yes." Uncle Vernon said, and he sounded like he was choking. "Thank you."  
  
Dudley looked at them with a very cold look in his grey eyes. Aunt Petunia would remember that it was like looking into a winter's sky. It made her cold, despite the hot August weather.  
  
"If he gets back to the weight he was at before I cursed him, I will curse him again." Dudley said softly and evenly. "And next time I will not remove it."  
  
He and Harry swept past him and into the cooling summer night.  
  
  
  
They arrived home almost immediately after they left the Dursleys front door. Harry walked to the edge of the cliff where their back gardens plummeted into the sea. He stood there for a very long time before he felt Draco beside him.  
  
"You are angry with me." Draco said, searching Harry's face.  
  
Harry looked at him. "No." He said, turning and looking out to sea. "I am thinking of my childhood. They had me sleep in a cupboard for ten years. I was a nothing to them. A burden. A reminder to them of everything they hated. And when I found out you had cursed Dudley, the first thing I do is ask you to take the curse off of him. Why in the hell would I do that?"  
  
Draco took Harry in his arms and kissed his lips gently. "I wish I could tell you, Potter." he whispered, his voice just rising over the surf. "You are such a complicated man. You are capable of a range of feelings that goes so much deeper than what I can understand. That Muggle was one of three relatives you have that is still alive, if you can call the Dursley's alive. Perhaps you were taking care of your family, even if they never took care of you. I can't understand that. If it had been me I would have stood over him and watched him waste away to nothingness. But you," and Draco kissed Harry again, lightly. Harry's dark hair and Draco's light hair blew together in the wind. "You are not me, and I am very glad one of us is human."  
  
Harry returned his lovers kisses. He wrapped his arms around the fair haired man and held him tight. He loosened the embrace to kiss Draco's face.  
  
"You are no animal, Draco Malfoy." he whispered as he kissed and licked Draco's ear. "You did not choose your name. It was given to you as a symbol of what your parents hoped you would become."  
  
He felt his lover's jaw tighten, as it always did at the mention of his parents. Harry continued speaking, kissing Draco's face and neck. "I looked and looked for love all my life. I didn't have a single friend until I was eleven years old. By the time I was nineteen I could count the number of people I would consider friends on one hand. A man I considered one of my most deadly enemies came into my life changed so much I could hardly recognize him." Harry began unbuttoning Draco's shirt, exposing his pale chest. "I fell in love with my worst enemy. And he, I believe, fell just as deeply in love with me."  
  
Draco allowed his shirt to be removed and dropped behind him. He grasped Harry's face and brought it level with his own. "He did." He said, in a very husky voice.  
  
Draco kissed him hard and passionately and with his usual grace, unbuttoned and removed Harry's shirt. Harry was a bit darker than Draco was, but the two chests were both pale in the cloudy night. Draco unfastened Harry's pants and dropped to his knees as the pants fell to the ground. He helped Harry out of his shoes and his socks and finally his pants and boxers.  
  
Beginning at Harry's feet, Draco slowly kissed his way up Harry's legs. He ran his tongue around the knees and up the thighs. Harry's manhood was as hard as possible when Draco grasped his lover's waist and began licking the shaft. He worked his tongue around and kissed the tip. Harry grabbed Draco's broad shoulders and his knees buckled. Draco was ready and gently held Harry by the hips in a standing position.  
  
Draco began kissing his way up Harry's chest, his hands caressing his lover's arms. He nuzzled Harrys neck as he freed himself of his shoes and pulled his feet out of his socks. He felt Harry fumbling with his pants and did nothing to stop him. Draco wore no underwear, and he stepped out of his pants and felt the air cooling his naked body. Draco paused in kissing Harry's face to look into the green eyes. His hands ran up Harry's arms to the shoulders and then down again. Draco interlocked fingers with Harry and brought Harry's left hand to his lips. He kissed each finger in turn, stopping at Harry's ring finger. The platinum ring that Harry wore there was kissed twice. Harry did not see this because he was doing the very same thing with Draco's left hand.  
  
Harry and Draco looked into each other's eyes and then they looked through each others eyes. Harry murmured. "No regrets? About the Iunctius Charm?"  
  
"Never." was the reply, as Draco began kissing the inside of his lover's arm.  
  
They lowered themselves into the cool grass, barely hearing the surf below them. Harry positioned himself over Draco and slipped one of his legs between both of Draco's. Draco sighed, watching Harry with his own eyes once again. Harry ran his fingers along Draco's leg as he kissed him deeply. As their tongues intertwined, Harry's hand felt along the the leg muscles and up the body to the waist. He took Draco in hand and squeezed him, hard. Draco's gasp broke the kiss and with a growl, Draco flipped Harry onto his stomach. They both cried out with pleasure when Draco entered him and Draco lifted Harry onto his knees. Draco ran his hands along Harry's back and around to his chest and down to his lovers manhood, which he took and manipulated to the rhythm of his own thrusts. Their moans mingled with each other. They screamed together as they came. Harry collapsed onto the grass and Draco collapsed on top of Harry. They did not move for several minutes as they lay breathing heavily in the darkness.  
  
Draco pulled out of Harry and rolled right into the grass beside Harry. Harry moved enough to put his arm around Draco and pull himself over his chest. Draco wrapped his right arm around Harry.  
  
Draco looked up into Harry's green eyes. "Thirteen months now." he said.  
  
"I know." Harry said, quietly.  
  
"I was scared out of my mind back then." Draco said, thoughtfully.  
  
"I know."  
  
"You gave me a second chance."  
  
"I did."  
  
"Made me feel welcome."  
  
"I tried."  
  
"Seduced me."  
  
Harry laughed. "I did not. You seduced me."  
  
"I was minding my own business. You came onto me."  
  
"I came to you for a headache cure."  
  
"And I gave you one. Then you decided to talk." and Draco snorted. "A ploy."  
  
Harry laughed. "I am not the one who brought out the truth serum."  
  
"I am not the one who asked about love first thing. You set me up."  
  
"Don't even try it, Malfoy. I just figured I had better find out is all."  
  
Draco laughed. "Ask me again. I don't have any truth serum with me, but I'll be honest, I promise."  
  
Harry looked into Draco's eyes, his face deadly serious.  
  
"Do you love me Malfoy?"  
  
"More than anything, Potter."  



	4. Good Clean Fun

Chapter Four: Good Clean Fun  
  
CRASH  
  
Percy Weasley smiled to himself, even as he closed the door he'd just entered and jogged through the apartment.  
  
A vase lay broken in the doorway. Books spilled into the long hallway. A large bookcase had fallen.  
  
Percy pulled out his wand and chuckled, "Extollo."  
  
The heavy bookcase rose and placed itself back against the wall.  
  
"Neville?" he asked, tentatively.  
  
Neville Longbottom looked up through his hair. "I thought it was sturdier than that." he said.  
  
Percy offered his hand and helped Neville to his feet. Neville was a head and shoulders shorter than Percy and when Percy gathered him into his arms, he rested his chin on the top of Neville's head. "Why didn't you wait for me to get home?" he said, kissing the top of the brown haired head.  
  
Neville backed up slightly and looked up into Percy's brown eyes. "I thought I could do it myself." he said, shrugging.  
  
Percy chuckled. "Well, you certainly can now that all the books are on the floor."  
  
Neville turned red. "I'm sorry, Percy." he said, quietly shaking his head and looking at the books scattered everywhere. "I'll fix it. How was your day?"  
  
Percy grinned as he watched Neville drop to his knees and start picking up books. "I have to meet with the head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports on Monday. Seems there have been a rash of enchanted golf balls all over the place. The Muggles are going crazy thinking Britian is going to take the PGP or PGB or something like that. And Lapis tells me he thinks he has a lead on those stolen and cursed swords from last winter. I'll have to follow up on that." he dropped to his knees, took Neville's chin in his hand and turned the face to look at him. "And I missed having lunch with you."  
  
"I know." Neville said, dropping the books heavily on Percy's knees. "I forgot all about it. I was double checking the list of herbs Amethyst wanted me to get and," Percy kissed him to shut him up.  
  
"Don't worry about it, Neville." he said when he broke the kiss. "Missing lunch won't kill me."  
  
Percy stood and waved his wand at the books on the floor. "Revertor." and the books put themselves back on the shelves.  
  
Percy took Neville's hand and led him out of the room. In the doorway, Percy pointed his wand at the vase and said, "Renovo." He dropped his wand inside and picked the vase up and took both the vase and Neville into the kitchen.  
  
Percy put the vase on the table and swept Neville into his arms again, he bend his head to kiss him, but Neville put a finger to his lips to stop him.  
  
"I have a surprise for you." Neville said and Percey sat at the table. "Don't look."  
  
Percy looked into the vase and fished his wand out while Neville made small sounds behind him. Percy marveled at Neville's abilities in the kitchen. It was one of the few rooms he wasn't dangerous in. Percy pocketed his wand and picked up the vase and looked at the design on it. Roses. Neville loved roses and had several small bushes in the second bedroom of their apartment, which Neville had converted into a quasi-greenhouse when he'd moved in with Percy back in April. Percy smiled down at the vase when he thought about how they'd come to be here. How he'd come to be here, actually.  
  
Penelope Clearwater had been the perfect mate for Percy. He knew it, she knew it, everyone knew it. The problem was that Percy didn't feel right about it. She may have been beautiful and smart and all those things, but she didn't seem to do much for Percy. She just couldn't seem to get him excited. After he'd graduated from Hogwarts and began working in the Ministry, he'd begun researching potions to help him with his impotency and was in the apothecary when he'd run into Neville. Neville sensed something was up and offered to take Percy to lunch. Percy agreed, but didn't talk about his problem with Penelope. However he'd had the nicest luncheon he'd had in a long, long time. Percy really felt comfortable around Neville. Neither of them had ever had many friends and they were glad to have one now. They met weekly throughout the summer.  
  
Percy, in the meantime, found his problems with Penelope suddenly gone. The problem he now faced was that the only way he could get himself excited enough to have sex with her was by thinking of Neville, which frightened Percy beyond words. He didn't tell Penelope and he didn't tell Neville. He didn't tell anyone. But he realized there was something going on, because when Neville went back to school Percy found himself completely distracted again. He ended his relationship with Penelope and threw himself into his work. He thought of Neville often, but avoided him when his job brought him to Hogwarts. They did not meet at all until the next summer.  
  
It was Neville who finally said something about them. 'I really like you, Percy.' he'd said during a talk they'd had near Neville's grandmother's home. They were sitting in the grass and Percy was recounting his week at work. Neville always listened so patiently when he talked about his work. He was considering changing to another department and had been using Neville as a sounding board.  
  
Percy had looked at Neville sharply. Percy had not missed the underlying message. Percy opened his mouth to speak and Neville kissed him. Percy's world was never the same again.  
  
Percy insisted that they remain chaste until Neville graduated school. This wasn't easy for either of them. Percy had never wanted anyone as much as he'd wanted Neville. But somehow they'd managed, although some times it had been a close thing indeed. However, Percy was also faced with a dilemma. He felt he needed to keep his relationship with Neville quiet. He was terrified of the reaction of his peers. Neville silently agreed.  
  
One of the side effects of Percy's fear was that his relationship with his favorite and oldest brother deteriorated. Long ago, Percy had caught Bill and Christopher Starling kissing in a field near the Weasley home. That it made him so uncomfortable was one of the reasons he fought his own feelings for Neville. Percy strived to be socially acceptable and men kissing men was not socially acceptable. His need to keep his relationship secret caused him a lot of problems within his family. Granted, everyone of his family members thought he was stuck-up, except for his mother, who held him up as an example (which did nothing to improve his relationship with his siblings). But he began distancing himself more and more. The only one he felt he could be himself with was Neville. He even secured a job for Neville in his department. International Magical Co-operation.  
  
Then Percy received the owl from Neville that shattered his world.  
  
  
  
Have to leave the country. Can't tell you why. I love you.  
  
Neville  
  
  
  
Percy's reaction to this was to throw himself into his work with a will. The very day he read Neville's note, he took his frustration out on his brother, sacking him for having a cluttered desk. Two months later, just when the pain was dulling to the point that Percy was only thinking about Neville ten times a day, Christopher Starling was transferred to the Department of Magical Reversals, where Percy was Head. Seeing Christopher somehow ripped open the wound that had just begun healing for Percy. With calculated precision, Percy worked on getting Christopher out of his department. He succeeded only to find that Christopher had wound up with his brother Ron in a new branch of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.  
  
Then Ron was killed. Percy never considered himself very close to his youngest brother, but his death rocked Percy to his very foundations. He plummeted into a depression he couldn't see any way out of. He was sitting in his apartment (at the very place he sat in now, as a matter of fact) staring at a bottle of Veneficus potion he had gotten in Nocturn Alley. It was a highly illegal poison, and Percy planned to use it to kill himself.  
  
Why Percy did not ignore the knock on the door was beyond him. He opened the door to find himself facing Albus Dumbledore. Dumbledore bustled in and made himself at home, putting on tea and chatting with Percy about almost nothing. Then he told Percy he was going to be heading the Department of Muggle Artifacts and asked him if he would like to join him and some friends of his in finding Ron's killer. Percy was never able to understand what made him agree. He was no crime fighter. No rebel. But he found himself agreeing.  
  
After Dumbledore told him where to go and when and left Percy's apartment, Percy found himself happier than he'd been in the two years since Neville had mysteriously left him. He also discovered that the bottle of Veneficus potion had disappeared.  
  
Percy almost fainted when he saw Neville in the Snapes sitting room that Saturday night. It did not help that Neville appeared to be with Seamus Finnegan. Neville had lost an incredible amount of weight, Percy noticed. He also seemed more anxious than ever. It did not help that not only was Christopher there, but Bill as well. The evening only got worse as it progressed. Bill insisted they let Harry know that no one in the family was blaming him for Ron's death, which meant getting closer to Neville than he'd been in years. Percy was Classic Percy and left as soon as possible. He knew Bill would write him off as being his usual homophobic self, but Percy didn't care. Dumbledore topped off his evening with a lecture on love knowing no sex and telling Percy that he'd discover that someday.  
  
Seamus and Neville were waiting for him in front of his apartment when he got home from that meeting. Dignity prevented Percy from making a scene. Seamus made Percy sit and listen to Neville's story. Although incredible, Percy knew Neville was no liar. Seamus played referee and Neville and Percy were able to patch things up. Seamus understood Parcy's anxiety and vowed he would tell no one about their relationship.  
  
But they hardly picked up where they'd left off. Neville had come to a greater acceptance of his sexuality and encouraged Percy to come out of the closet. Percy was just too scared. Neville was frustrated, but gently accepted.  
  
Then Neville and Bill had been kidnapped and Percy was so worried about them he unintentionally gave himself away. Harry was very observant and he quickly figured out Percy's secret. Draco and Harry agreed to allow Percy to come and collect Neville, Bill and Amethyst and what Percy saw that night changed him.  
  
The greatest change it brought to him was in his attitude. He'd come close to losing not only another brother, but the man he loved. Suddenly propriety didn't matter as much. Percy came out of the closet, made amends to Bill and moved Neville in with him. And that was in April, four months ago.  
  
Percy was jerked back to the present by a hand on his shoulder. "Percy?" Neville said. "Are you alright?"  
  
Percy started, then looked at Neville. "I was just thinking, love." he said, as he pulled Neville onto his lap. Neville was quite thin these days and fit onto Percy's lap wonderfully. Suddenly the aroma hit him. "That doesn't smell like a normal dinner." Percy said, suddenly starving.  
  
Neville smiled. "When I realized I'd forgotten our lunch date, I stopped on the way home and picked up a few things. You know, to make it up to you."  
  
"Oh." Percy said, grinning. "And I am sure you have outdone yourself, again, trying to feed me."  
  
Neville tickled Percy's middle. "You're too thin."  
  
"You sound like your gran." Percy said and watched as his face fell. "That is not a bad thing, exactly, Neville. Your gran loves you."  
  
"I know. She was complaining last time I saw her. Says she thinks I am too thin." Neville said. "I told her this stress diet was the best thing that ever happened to me." and he sighed.  
  
Percy switched subjects. "So what have you prepared for me, my love?"  
  
Neville straightened himself. He smiled down at Percy and said, in a dignified sort of voice. "Tonight, my love, I have prepared for you a poached pear and walnut salad with a Gorgonzola dressing. That will be followed by calves livers, lamb sweetbreads and kidney with carrots and a mustard sauce. And your dessert will be my homemade raspberry sorbet."  
  
Percy raised his eyebrows. "You and Amethyst are going to make a fortune, you know?" Neville grinned and began serving the gourmet meal.  
  
  
  
Percy signed his report with a flourish, glad to be done with it. He had gotten into the habit of finishing any work he brought home for the weekend on Friday night, so he wouldn't have to think about it during the weekend. It gave him more time to spend with Neville, he figured.  
  
"Ovid." he called and a large Long-eared Owl left his perch and landed on the desk in front of Percy. Percy rolled up his report and stuffed it into a mailing tube. He addressed it to himself and held it out for Ovid. "The office, Ovid." Percy said and he watched as Ovid flew through the window. He sat gazing out of the window at the clear night.  
  
Grinning, he stood and stretched. He blew out the candle and walked out of the room. He breathed in the scent of roses as he crossed into the bedroom. He poked his head into the bathroom, lit a single candle and began the shower with a wave of his wand. He returned to the bedroom and undressed. He returned to the shower and let the hot water run over him. He closed his eyes and ran both of his hands over his red hair.  
  
He didn't start when he felt the hands around his waist. He felt the kiss between his shoulder blades. He saw Neville's hand reach around him for the soap. Neville began at his feet and washed Percy to the waist. He skipped Percy's groin and soaped his back. Then Percy felt Nevilles hands on his back and allowed himself to be turned. Neville was looking up at Percy with eyes filled with emotion. Percy bent and kissed him. Neville washed Percy's chest from the collarbone down. He paused at Percys groin and Percy moaned as Neville soaped him up.  
  
Forcing himself to calm down, Percy managed to get the soap away from Neville. He washed his love beginning from the head, and ending at the feet. Percy was on his knees and he grasped Neville by the waist and kissed his navel. Percy kissed Neville's growing member and slipped it in his mouth. He heard the gasps and moans even above the pounding of the water on the tiles. Neville never lasted long in Percy's mouth and Percy enjoyed the taste of his lover's cum, before he kissed his way back up Neville's body to kiss him passionately.  
  
Percy shook out his hair. He looked again down at Neville. They rinsed off completely and got out of the shower. Percy wrapped them both in the same large towel and held him close.  
  
"I do love you, Percy." Neville said into Percy's chest.  
  
"I know." Percy replied.  
  
They dried off and went to bed. Neville snuggled against Percy and Percy put an arm around him.  
  
"Do you really think Amethyst and I will get rich off of this restaurant?" Neville asked.  
  
"Well, you will get rich. Amethyst will get richer." Percy said. "But you will wind up in an early grave if you don't do something about your anxiety around her."  
  
Neville chuckled. "She said the very same thing today." he said. "She said if I botch one more herb run she is going to drug me."  
  
Percy smiled. "Well, at least you aren't working with that husband of hers. Severus Snape used to cause you nervous fits."  
  
"Yes, but I understand why now." Neville said, thoughtfully. "And I know my niche isn't potions. But Amethyst is just as good with herbs as I am, maybe even better. And she is every bit as exacting and complicated as her husband is."  
  
Percy shook his head. "Why did you offer to let her in on this restaurant idea then?" he asked.  
  
Percy felt Neville shrug. "I suppose because she is fascinating. She is everything Severus us, but she can be so," Neville searched for the word. "Sensitive? Kind?"  
  
Percy laughed out loud. "If she ever finds out you called her sensitive and kind I'm willing to bet she'd turn you into something slimy."  
  
Neville laughed with him. "But she is." he insisted. "I won't forget how caring she was when we all got captured by the Dark Knights. It sounds wierd, but she saved me and Bill by cursing us. And she took the beating for us. But as angry as she was she let Harry exact the revenge because it was more his fight than hers." he shrugged again. "She is so complicated. She is a cold-blooded killer but she is also a very kind-hearted person, Percy. Just look at how much she loves Severus. Everything they went through. Eighteen years thinking Severus was dead. It's just so romantic."  
  
Percy shook his head again. "Neville you are a hopeless romantic." he said.  
  
"Oh, I know that." Neville sighed, molding himself against Percy's side. "You may not think so, but I think our story is pretty romantic too."  
  
Parcy gave a mock scoff. "You run off and leave me for no reason and we were reunited in a room full of Taipan agents and assassins, plotting spy raids and murders. Real romantic."  
  
Neville slapped Percy's chest. "I meant what happened when we got back here, with Seamus. You didn't want to listen, but Seamus made you. Made you hear my story and understand."  
  
Percy pressed Neville closer to his side. "Yes. I was thinking about that earlier tonight. I owe Seamus a great debt. He brought you back to me, in a way."  
  
"And I'll never leave you again." Neville said.  
  
"I sure hope not." Percy said.  
  
They fell asleep in each other's arms.  



	5. The Return of Hermione Weasley

Chapter Five: The Return of Hermione Weasley  
  
"You don't trust me?"  
  
"It's not that, Severus. It just seems so impossible."  
  
"Well, it isn't. Trust me Remus. We have been working on this for five months and we have finally perfected it. Drink it."  
  
Remus Lupin was surrounded in the cool dungeon under the Snape home. Severus Snape, Draco Malfoy, Taja Waite and Hermione Weasley stood watching him anxiously. He was holding a smoky goblet made, he was told, of moonstone. The potion inside was bubbling and smoking, but the goblet was cool. Remus stared down at it.  
  
Hermione took Remus by his free arm and stood on tiptoe to whisper in his ear. "This is your freedom, Remus. What you have wanted since you were a child. We worked so hard on this, and it will work. I just know it will."  
  
Hermione fell back onto her heels and Remus looked down at her. He didn't move for a moment, then he drained the goblet. Hermione took it from him quickly.  
  
The pain did not bother Remus. Turning into a werewolf had deadened him to all manner of pains. However he did suck in a breath. He fell to his knees and clamped his head. He moaned softly. He felt as if his head were going to explode. For twenty minutes he rocked back and forth against the pain.   
  
Then, suddenly it was gone.  
  
Remus remained on his knees, panting. He slowly became aware. Hermione was kneeling beside him, her had rubbing his back. Severus stood flanked by Taja and Draco, directly in front of him. Their faces were unreadable.  
  
"You didn't mention the pain, Severus." Remus said dryly.  
  
Severus shrugged. "A small side effect." he said, but he seemed to be repressing a grin.  
  
"And how many times can I expect to go through this before the treatments are complete?"  
  
"Once a month for the next six months." Hermione said. "I'll make it up for you at school."  
  
Hermione was going to be the new Potions Master at Hogwarts and Remus would be teaching Defense Against The Dark Arts.  
  
"I still don't know about this." Remus said.  
  
"You will stay here tonight and we will see if you transform." Severus said.  
  
"If you do we will just try again," Hermione said, cheerfully.  
  
  
  
Draco and Hermione had left hours ago. Severus, Amethyst and Remus were down in one of the dungeons. It was a stone room with no windows and a door of solid silver. Remus was very familar with this room and he loathed it. Since the development of the wolfsbane potion so many years ago, he'd spent his time here, or in a dungeon identical to it at his home in an isolated part of the woods, when he transformed.  
  
Amethyst and Severus watched over him, as they'd done many times in the past. Before Amethyst returned to the country, Severus watched alone. They stood, while Remus sat on the cot. They waited and waited. They could all feel the pull of the moon, although neither Severus or Amethyst were werewolves. They were simply effected by years of magical practice and experience.  
  
Nothing happened.  
  
Amethyst looked at her watch in the light of the single torch. "Two hours." she said.  
  
"Delayed reaction?" Remus said, from his position on the couch.  
  
Severus shook his head. "No."  
  
Amethyst allowed herself half a smile. "Looks like you are on your way to rejoining humanity, Remus."  
  
Remus looked at her as if she has said something insane. Then he rose from his cot and threw his arms around her. He shook Severus' hand and said with a huge smile.  
  
"Looks like it, doesn't it?"  
  
  
  
"Hermione, quit worrying. We can handle this." George Weasley said, arranging daggers in their display case.  
  
"They can be quite a handfull." Hermione said, still looking in the corner where her four children were playing. The triplets, Harry, Michael and David were all tickling their baby brother, R.J, who was laughing hysterically.  
  
Fred stepped around the counter. "We can handle it, Hermione. You just go off and enjoy teaching darling students like the ones we used to be."  
  
Hermione laughed. "If they are, I'll be ready to retire in a week."  
  
Fred snorted in mock indignation. He went to the door of Weasley's Priscus Weapons and opened it. "Out with you." he said.  
  
"I haven't come in yet." said the man in the doorway. He had a long wooden box propped on one of his hips.  
  
Fred started. "Well," he said. "I wasn't meaning you. You must be here with our delivery."  
  
"This is it." the man said, and Fred took one end of the box and helped the man move the box to the counter.  
  
Hermione looked on amazed as George opened the case. Two jeweled longswords gleamed like new.  
  
"Those can't be antiques?" Hermione said, doubtfully.  
  
"Well, they are." Fred said, reaching for one of the swords.  
  
The bell above the front door chimed and Fred withdrew his hand from the crate.  
  
"Cheese it!" George said, grinning. "It's the cops."  
  
Lapis Meaker and Christopher Starling walked into the antique weapons store. Behind them came Percy and Bill.  
  
"Never mind the cops, we're being raided by our own brothers." Fred said, beginning to frown.  
  
"I have to go." Hermione said. "Or I'll be late for my first day of class." and she kissed her boys, turned and kissed Bill, Christopher and Percy on the cheek. "So good to see you, have to go, give my love to Neville." and she was gone.  
  
Fred and George looked outraged. "How do you rate a kiss and we don't?" Fred ranted.  
  
"We are definitely cuter than any of you guys." George added.  
  
"She's living with you guys, for one." Bill laughed.  
  
"And, knowing Hermione," Percy theorized, "She's more comfortable kissing us because we're not likely to come on to her."  
  
George's jaw dropped. "We have never!"  
  
Bill held up his hand. "The first Christmas Hermione and Ron were married you came on to her." he said.   
  
"We were drunk." Fred said. "And we sure sobered up when Ron decked us, didn't we?"  
  
There was nervous laughter all around. Ron hadn't been dead a year yet and talking about him was still difficult for the older brothers he'd left behind.  
  
Lapis cleared his throat. "On to business, boys." he said. "We're looking for some cursed swords."  
  
Frad and George exchanged looks. "No idea what your talking about."  
  
Christopher snorted. "Yea, right." he said.  
  
Bill was pulling out his wand. "Where are they?" he said looking at his twin brothers.  
  
Fred sighed. He waved his arm at the large grate on the counter.  
  
George was looking around. "Where'd that bloke go to, Fred?" he asked.  
  
Fred, too was looking around. "He was just here."  
  
"Must've gone out the back." George said. "I know I wanted to."  
  
Bill was raising his wand. Christopher said. "One minute, Bill." he said and he pulled out his wand and waved it at the corner where the four children were playing. "Tutis." he said.  
  
The kids were surrounded by a shimmering light.  
  
Bill raised his eyebrows, "I don't believe I forgot about them." he said.  
  
"You've been worried about this." Lapis said. "They're protected now, go ahead."  
  
Bill raised his wand again and pointed it at the crate. "Pateo maledicto."  
  
Two different shadows rose from the box. The first looked like a man enraged. He held a shadow sword and was swinging it for all he was worth. Fred backed away. The second shadow man simply stood, blinking stupidly, as if awaiting instructions.  
  
"Bingo." Bill whispered.  
  
"But there are only two. Where are the other two?" Lapis said as Bill approached the shadows. The enraged shadow swung at him, but the blade just went through Bill's neck. He didn't even seem to notice.  
  
Bill peered into the case. "The only ones in here are the Sword of Bacchatus and the Sword of Servitus. No other swords and no daggers."  
  
Lapis swore. "Shit. Well, we have these anyway. Fix em up all pretty so we can get em back to London."  
  
The twins let out identical cries of protest as Bill pointed his wand at each sword in turn and said, "Infectum reddere."  
  
"You can't take this stuff back to London." George protested, as Percy replaced the lid and he and Christopher started leaving with it.  
  
"I can do 'bout anything I want to." Lapis said. He lifted the protective bubble from the children and followed Percy and Christopher.  
  
Bill grinned. "You can register your complaints with the man who will be holding the swords until we have collected them all."  
  
Fred did not like the like on his older brother's face. "And who might that be?"  
  
"Severus Snape." Bill said, and left Weasley's Priscus Weapons laughing.  
  
  
  
"Are you sure they will be safe here?"  
  
"You are questioning my security measures, Meaker?"  
  
Lapis ran his fingers over his short hair. "Yup." he said, chuckling. "I guess you got you a point there, don't you?"  
  
Amethyst grinned and left the room. They were in a storeroom below 1013, the restaurant Neville and Amethyst had begun. Today was opening day and Lapis found himself in the middle of a maelstrom. But it was quiet down in the basement.  
  
"These will be perfectly safe here." Severus said, as they left the room where the swords were going to be stored. There was no sign of Amethyst. Severus pulled out his wand, pointed it at the door and muttered, "Securus."  
  
"Are you as good at security as your wife?" Lapis asked and immediately regretted the question when Severus looked at him.  
  
"At least." Severus replied and Lapis was suddenly very cold.  
  
They went up a flight of wooden stairs to the restaurant's main floor. The place was jammed. Not a single free seat in the place. The stairs they emerged from were in the exact center of the place and they were in a narrow hallway. At the end of this hallway, they had the choice of going right into the Muggle area, or going left into the wizarding section. They went left, slipping behind a large tapestry.  
  
They entered the wizarding kitchen, which was a bustle of activity. Lapis was surprised to see Neville standing off to one side, calmly watching the chaos, occasionally shouting out an order to one of the helpers.  
  
Severus saw Lapis' expression. "Amethyst has made a potion for him. He hasn't quite learned to calm his own nerves." he said with half a grin.  
  
They walked out of the kitchen and through the crowded restaurant. They entered Diagon Alley and walked through it's streets.  
  
"There will be a meeting tonight regarding the remaining weapons." Lapis said, as they approached the Ministry of Magic main building.  
  
"I will be there." Severus said. And he disappeared before Lapis began climbing the stairs.  



	6. Of Swords and Daggers

Chapter Six: Of Swords and Daggers  
  
Severus found himself in the same private room that he'd been married in a little over two years ago. This time, however, the mood was far more somber.  
  
Albus Dumbledore began the meeting. He looked at the men assembled. Percy, Bill, Christopher, Lapis, Harry, Sirius and Severus all looked back at him. "The first of the stolen swords have been recovered." he said, without preamble. "The remainder of the cursed weapons are still at large. Percy."  
  
Percy was leaning over a large sheet of parchment. "I know that there were four swords and four daggers stolen from a Muggle antique shop last winder. The culprit turned out to be the Dark Knights. They cursed the objects and were planning to use them against the wizarding community. When Jarod and Jade Packer were killed, the weapons were scattered and have not been seen since."  
  
Bill picked up the thread. "I have been working to find out how the items were cursed. So far I have found only the curses on the swords. One of the swords still out there is cursed with the Vires curse, which will give the wielder incredible strength." Bill sighed and rubbed his temple. "The second sword has the Vinco curse on it. This makes an expert swordsman or the wielder, even if he has never held a sword in his life."  
  
Harry was frowning. "What about the daggers?"  
  
Bill looked at Severus, who stood while Bill sat. "The daggers stolen were cursed to make them almost perfect assassination weapons. Two of the daggers will be found together. They have been cursed with the Furtim curse. This curse grants the assassin stealth capabilities They can move about without being seen or heard."  
  
Christopher whistled.  
  
"Yes, it is a nasty piece of work." Severus said. "Bit it is child's play compared to the second set of daggers, which will also be found together. The curse on them is Venenum. The blade of the dagger is poison to anyone stabbed, pricked or touched with the blade."  
  
Harry looked over at Severus. "Is there an antidote?"  
  
Severus smiled, and it was a smile to make the blood run cold. "There is." he said, slowly. "But you aren't going to like it."  
  
Lapis groaned. "Let's hear it."  
  
Severus nodded. "Since there is no actual poison on the blade, the only antidote must be in the form of a spell." He reached into his robes and removed a bundle tied with a piece of leather.  
  
Severus untied the bundle. There were seven stilettos in a neat row. "These stilettos have been, well, you will call it cursed, I have no doubt, by me. I have been working on this particular curse since I discovered that the poison cursed daggers existed." he said in the voice both Harry and Percy remembered from their school days. The voice was just the side of a whisper, but captured the audience.  
  
"The victim of the Venenum dagger must be stabbed by the Antidotum stiletto in the very same place or places of the Venenum wound or wounds."  
  
Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. "There was no other way, Severus?" he asked softly.  
  
Severus shrugged. "No."  
  
"I have a hard time believing that." Sirius said. "You are a sadistic son-of-a-bitch, Snape."  
  
Severus raised his eyebrows at Lapis. "Perhaps I am, but I know what I am doing. Dumbledore asked me to find the simplest and most expedient way to transmit an antidote. This is both."  
  
Dumbledore raised his hand, ending a confrontation before it could begin. "I would believe him, Sirius." he said. "Severus is a bit sadistic, but that wouldn't have figured in here. "I asked him exactly as he told you I did and if this is what he's come up with, then this is the only way. I suppose my mistake was in using the word expedient. Severus does have a tendency to be so literal." Dumbledore smiled. "It is a gift of his."  
  
"Seven?" Harry said, standing and leaning over Percy to get a better look at the stilettos. "One for each of us?"  
  
Severus nodded. "Eight actually. One for each of Tapain assassin to carry. I gave Amethyst her's before we parted at the school, and you will give one to Draco." Harry nodded. Severus looked into the eyes of Dumbledore. "Dumbledore has refused to carry one."  
  
A great murmuring broke out at this announcement. Dumbledore raised his hand and silence fell. "I have mentioned before that I am only a guide for the Taipan. I am not here to fight its battles. I am only a guide. If the Taipan assassins have a leader among them at all, it is Lapis."  
  
"Who is the extra for, then?" Percy asked, "There are only seven Taipan assassins. Why eight stilettos?"  
  
Dumbledore looked at Bill. "The eighth is for Bill Weasley. He will even out our numbers. If he will accept the challenge."  
  
Bill did not react with shock. "I was expecting this." he said, glancing at Christopher. He slowly nodded, then he rose from his seat. He walked to face Severus across the table. Severus picked up one of the stilettos and handed it to Bill, who removed it from its sheath and looked at it carefully. Both the stiletto and its sheath were made of platinum, with a snake etched into the handle. A taipan, Bill assumed correctly. He re-sheathed it and placed it on the inside of his robes.  
  
Severus handed stilettos to Sirius, Christopher and Lapis. Of the remaining three stilettos, he handed two to Harry and placed the final one into his own robes.  
  
"When the cursed weapons are recovered, keep the stilettos. I will remove the antidote charm and they will be the weapon of the Taipan assassin."  
  
  
  
"Do you think I should have begun teaching again?"  
  
"Why should I care one way or another? It is not my life, Hermione."  
  
Amethyst and Hermione walked from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade. Amethyst had come to the school to deliver the final instructions to Hermione for the potion which would restore Remus.  
  
"You are still adjusting to socializing, aren't you?" she asked.  
  
Amethyst laughed herself. "I suppose you could say I am." she said. "I am not the social type, but you already know that." and she stopped laughing. "I am surprised you called me up here." she swept one of the earliest of the falling leaves off of the ground without breaking her stride. "You haven't spoken to me since before Ron died." she said this as if commenting on the weather.  
  
Hermione flushed. "I have had a rough few months." she said, quietly.  
  
Amethyst grunted her agreement, "And you are trying to decide if a friendship with myself and people like myself is what killed Ron." she stated simply.  
  
Hermione cursed Amethysts ability to see beyond just about anything. The thin woman was extremely sharp and rarely missed anything. She sighed. "Ron's dedication to Harry is what killed him." she said quietly.  
  
Amethyst nodded. "Well, Harry found the murderer and they have paid."  
  
Hermione gave Amethyst a sharp look. "What is that supposed to mean?" she asked.  
  
Amethyst's gaze did not waver. "Harry found the murderer and they have paid." she repeated. Then she decided to give Hermione's mind a break. "Remember, he is a Ministry cop, Hermione."  
  
Hermione's mind relaxed. "Of course." she said. But in the back of her mind, doubts still swam. Hermione knew that there was more to Harry than a simple Ministry cop in the small and apparently unimportant Department of Independent Investigations. She and Harry had been drifting apart ever since she and Ron had gotten married. And since he'd gotten involved with Draco, he seemed to become even colder. Not as bad as his lover, but there was something behind the eyes that Hermione had never known there before. He was keeping something from her. And Harry never kept secrets from her.  
  
Amethyst brought her back to earth. "Now, about your teaching." she said. "You have children to raise. You cannot live off of his parents. You have too much pride for that. And your parents want you to leave the magical community. You would never do that. The insurance the Ministry provides is inadequate. You are not rich. You have to do something." she shrugged. "I don't know. I think it would have driven me insane, staying home with the children." she shuddered.  
  
Hermione looked at Amethyst as they entered Hogsmeade. "Why are we friends?" she suddenly asked.  
  
Amethyst laughed for a long time. "I ask myself that all the time, Hermione." she said.  
  
"I think," Hermione said, slowing her pace a bit. "That it is because you are a lot of the things I wish I was. Absolutely sure of everything you have ever done. Confident."  
  
Amethyst scoffed. "Have you been drinking First year potions, Hermione?" she asked. "You are confident. You are, are," and Amethyst struggled to look for a word to describe her friend.  
  
"A hopeless romantic?" Hermione said, giggling.  
  
Amethyst remembered the time she'd called Hermione that. So long ago it was. "Yes," she chuckled. "Yes, you are that. But you are also bubbly and cheerful. Or you were." she added.  
  
"I'm getting back there." Hermione said. "Ron's death shocked me so badly. I knew that nothing bad would happen to him, after Harry killed You-Know-Who. Then he was killed and killed in such a horrible way. No one ever told me why they would scalp him or drain his blood. Vampires don't scalp people. No vampire killed him. Why, Amethyst?" and Hermione stopped and grabbed Amethysts arm.  
  
There was nothing that would make Amethyst answer Hermione's question honestly. So she took a deep breath and sighed. "I don't know, Hermione." she said. She saw the tears in Hermione's eyes and quickly said. "Don't think about it, Hermione. Just think that the killers have been caught. And know too, that Harry would never let anything happen to you and your family."  
  
Hermione got herself under control and began walking again. As they passed the Three Broomsticks, they saw Harry coming out of it with Severus. Harry smiled and hugged Hermione tightly.  
  
"I have to be going." Harry made excuses when Hermione invited him to dinner. "Draco and I are going to be dining at 1013 tonight. We have a private suite."  
  
Hermione chuckled. "You are becoming such a recluse." she said. "I'm surprised to see you off that island of yours. You've been spending too much time with these two." and she nodded to Amethyst and Severus. "They are rubbing off."  
  
Severus scowled. "There are worse fates, Hermione."  
  
Hermione nodded, as the four of them began to walk. "I suppose there are." and she glanced at Harry. "What brings you all the way into Hogsmeade?" she asked. "Ten Thirteen is in London."  
  
"Just meting Severus for a drink while he waits for his wife to make her delivery." Harry said.  
  
Hermione looked at Harry closely. "But why no Draco?" she asked. "I thought you two were joined at the hip."  
  
"We are, Hermione." Came a voice behind them. Hermione completely missed the look of relief on Harry's face as Draco sauntered up to them.  
  
"If you must know," Draco said, and Hermione marveled again at how sharp Draco's hearing was. "I had to stop at that antique shop your brothers-in-law run."  
  
"Was that delivery for you, Draco?" Hermione said.  
  
"Yes." Draco said. "My father collected antique weapons. It is one of the few passions we shared. The Ministry has finally given me the weapons from his house. They are going to turn the house into a museum, you know?"  
  
"Are they?" Hermione gasped. "Whatever for?"  
  
"They want people to see that the Death Eaters are all gone and harmless and that there is nothing more to fear." Draco said, shrugging.  
  
"You don't agree?" Hermione said, as they reached the front of Fred and George's store. Candlelight streamed from the upstairs windows.  
  
Draco grinned. "You know me, Hermione." he drawled. "I don't think this is a safe world. If not the Death Eaters, then someone else."  
  
Hermione simply sighed and shrugged. She hugged everyone good-night and entered the store. Amethyst, Severus, Draco and Harry all began walking toward Hogsmeade Station.  
  
"Were you able to catch up with the mystery delivery man?" Amethyst asked.  
  
"He sang like a canary before he broke his back." Draco shrugged.  
  
"And what song did he sing?" Severus asked, half a smile on his lips.  
  
"A song of six weapons, of course." Draco smiled, coldly. "And where we might be able to find them."  
  
A/N My lovelies, this is the final chapter FFnet will be getting of Exploring the Sinus. I don't upload many chapters, as I so much prefer doing the final editing on the KeeBook. So tune in there and find out more G.  
  
Pax,  
Crystallina Auctia  
http://home.earthlink.net/~crysmeaker/ls/   



End file.
